(BALTIMORE, MD) — (October 5, 2012) — The Avengers and the X-Men join forces to defeat the Phoenix-possessed Cyclops and Emma Frost and a legendary character falls in the battle in Avengers Vs. X-Men #11 from Marvel Comics, the best-selling comic book to specialty retailers in September 2012, according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise.

DC Entertainment was September’s leading publisher in both Retail Dollars and Unit Market Share, leading Marvel Comics 34.41% to 31.04% in dollars and 41.10% to 33.65% in units.

Following Thanos' appearance in the Avengers film, Marvel Comics reprinted Jim Starlin and Ron Lim's 1990 mini-series The Thanos Quest, and the collected edition of this prequel to The Infinity Gauntlet was September's best-selling graphic novel to retailers.

The latest series of Hasbro's Marvel Legends Action Figures, featuring dynamic 6-inch sculpts of characters including Deadpool, Mystique, and the Punisher, was September's best-selling toy product to comic book specialty retailers.

The rage of the Incredible Hulk comes to the HeroClix campaign with the Marvel HeroClix: Incredible Hulk Booster Brick from WizKids/NECA, the best-selling games product to comic book specialty retailers in September.

How does Diamond calculate the charts? It all starts at the comic book shop.

Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which include the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from a universe of over 3,500 comic book specialty shops located inNorth Americaand around the world. The account base includes brick-and-mortar comic book specialty shops, Internet merchants, and other specialty stores.

Unit and dollars sales are calculated based upon orders invoiced and shipped to Diamond accounts during any given month, which comprises initial pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable.

Please note that comics marked with an asterisk have had their reported quantities reduced due to retailer returnability, and thus may rank lower on the charts than their actual sales would reflect.

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ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD)—Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture merchandise. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and pop-culture related merchandise, servicing more than 4,000 specialty retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com.